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[...] Musk has a top-secret level clearance because the company he founded and leads is certified to launch military spy satellites for the US government.
The review underscores the ramifications of Musk's appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast in September, where he took a puff of a marijuana blunt during the livestream. Musk's appearance on the program didn't sit well with NASA's top officials, who earlier this month ordered a review of the workplace cultures of SpaceX and Boeing.
NASA's contracts with the aerospace companies -- worth a combined total of $6.8 billion -- require both companies "maintain a program for achieving a drug-and alcohol-free workforce."
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Elon Musk's Security Clearance Reportedly Under Review Due to Pot Use
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(1)
(1)
QOTD:
"I've always wanted to work in the Federal Mint. And then go on
strike. To make less money."
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 08 2019, @06:02PM (31 children)
If they're going to conduct a review of Musk for taking a puff of a joint, they should investigate any organizations whose staff use addictive drugs and other known-inebriants, too. Alcohol, tobacco (the regular kind that'll just kill you), and caffeine come to mind as reasonable review triggers. Start with a review of the upper brass at NASA.
(Score: 3, Disagree) by TheGratefulNet on Friday March 08 2019, @06:10PM (23 children)
I hope they go after him.
why?
he's richer than god and it will take someone rich, like him, to get the laws FINALLY changed.
the states are legalizing it. its not the devil's weed. it does not cause black or mexican men to rape women. nothing 'they' said about it is true and its long overdue that we act like adults and stop the anslingering and the nixoning (two of the worst people in US history who supported these back-asswards laws).
this could be a good opportunity, if we use it right.
regular people can't change laws easily, but the powerful? yeah, its in their domain to change things that they want. lets hope this is an impetus for real change.
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Sulla on Friday March 08 2019, @06:12PM (13 children)
I prefer Musk waste his billions getting us into space instead of legalizing pot
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 2, Touché) by nitehawk214 on Friday March 08 2019, @06:26PM (6 children)
Why not both?
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 4, Informative) by DannyB on Friday March 08 2019, @07:48PM (5 children)
We will get both. Pot is already well on the way to legalization without taking Musk's money that could be better used to get to Mars.
When trying to solve a problem don't ask who suffers from the problem, ask who profits from the problem.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 08 2019, @10:00PM (4 children)
In my country, He is known to have mental problems and no credibility.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Saturday March 09 2019, @12:12AM (2 children)
Those are traits that can make you a billionaire in my country. BTW hi Kylie Jenner.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 09 2019, @12:44AM (1 child)
> "BTW hi Kylie Jenner."
Huh?
(Score: 2) by takyon on Saturday March 09 2019, @12:55AM
https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/3/7/18254738/kylie-jenner-forbes-self-made-billionaire-lip-kits [vox.com]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Sunday March 10 2019, @08:52PM
Surely you are confusing him with Mr. Trump?
When trying to solve a problem don't ask who suffers from the problem, ask who profits from the problem.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 08 2019, @07:51PM (4 children)
You know how whenever someone brings up capital taxes, the rich just laugh it off threatening they'll leave the country? That's what space is: A magical thinking solution to wealthy people's regulatory woes. Why stop strip mining everything in sight and deal with pollution, sociaty's problems and climate change when you can always leave the planet?
Space tourism... Mars... Moon bases... Nuclear bunkers... Underwater cities... It's all variations of exponential trend lines cons. It's just so common nowadays people can't even tell what's good public policy anymore. 50 years ago you'd build infrastructure thinking "This is the problems we're facing. This is the methods we have to solve them. Lets try fixing them". Now you have "This is the problems we're facing. Some wiz kid that made a killing at the stock market came up with a scientific-sounding doohicky that would solve the problem easier in 10 years from now so lets wait while funding him and removing any regulatory barriers while we're at it".
Madness. The lot of it. Dumb immoral madness.
(Score: 1, Troll) by Azuma Hazuki on Friday March 08 2019, @08:11PM (1 child)
Precisely! The elite have stripmined this planet and are now planning to go off-world and let the rest of us slowly rot and starve. Life imitates art, and in this case it's imitating a whole lot of late 20th-century sci-fi. We know they won't be able to do it of course, but they're still going to ruin our natal homeworld...
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 1) by Tokolosh on Saturday March 09 2019, @04:06AM
He's already left one country for better prospects in another. You can bet he'll do it again. Just so you know, his first country bitterly regrets his leaving, and wishes he would come back. Same goes for Mark Shuttleworth and numerous others. Be careful what you wish for.
Anyway, I'm sure Mr. Musk is not as heartless as you say, and will include you on the B Ark.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Sulla on Friday March 08 2019, @08:22PM
The technological advances that we use in our daily lives started out as luxuries for the rich. I get the concern about escapism but space is not going to be something you can just sit back and live a vacation in forever. Those who are rich tend to like living the life of luxury and flaunting what they have. You don't get to have fast cars in space (yet), you don't get your own private island with sand, ocean, and beaches (yet), you can't go on long moons-lit walks on Mars on your vast acreage and enjoy nature (yet). You can't own a house high up on Olympus Mons and look out over the vast Martian nature (yet). You get to live in a box, and work out a lot to keep yourself from atrophy, you can't go on walks without bulky suits (possibly just pressure suits with tanks). Mars can be a true workers paradise and you could have the truest utopia there. Yeah you could be rich on Mars, but why?
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 2) by takyon on Saturday March 09 2019, @12:13AM
Bezos proposes that moving industry into space and mining asteroids can be a solution to pollution and strip mining.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1) by patricepetticoat on Friday March 08 2019, @10:46PM
Sarcasm? Are these the only two options?
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday March 08 2019, @06:22PM (2 children)
Who modded you down?
But yeah, I agree with Sulla, now is not the time for that. SpaceX needs a nice flow of cash to successfully develop BFR and Starlink. It's a critical time for the company, and even losing a couple hundred million dollars of potential launches would not be helpful. If BFR and Starlink are successful, SpaceX could be financially secure for decades.
Cannabis is already in a quasi-legal state in most of the country and Democrats have pretty much pledged to legalize it finally. Yeah, yeah, be skeptical of that, but I think there is a good chance it could get done if they take the Presidency and the Senate. And if they renege, it will be a new low (vs. a new high).
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 09 2019, @01:15AM (1 child)
Why do you think having Democrats win the Presidency and the Senate would matter? Democrats won all 3 branches in 2008 and didn't change a damn thing. Meanwhile, we actually have a president who has hinted that he would sign a bill to legalize it.
Most likely, all branches go republican in 2020. Democrats will often get legislative power, but won't get the presidency until they defeat a reelection bid by Pence or Cruz in 2028.
Legalization might not matter for the sort of trouble Elon Musk is in. You can also get your clearance revoked for being a drunk, despite that being legal.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Saturday March 09 2019, @01:23AM
Top Democrats were not preaching cannabis legalization then. Obama was laughing it off. Now you have Schumer and the Dem. Presidential candidates on board, for example.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 5, Informative) by DeathMonkey on Friday March 08 2019, @08:11PM (5 children)
he's richer than god and it will take someone rich, like him, to get the laws FINALLY changed.
Or you could just vote Democrat. They have descheduling bills in Congress RIGHT NOW. It's only Republicans that are going to stop them.
(Score: 1, Redundant) by Sulla on Friday March 08 2019, @08:25PM (3 children)
Meh. If the democrats cared they would have done it when they had all three houses. They are only considering it now because they know it won't pass so their pharma overlords are willing to allow them to do it for political gain. As we established in a prior article, Democrats receive more money from Pharma than Republicans do.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Friday March 08 2019, @09:24PM (1 child)
I'm sure it's just a coincidence that 95% of the legal pot states are blue.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 08 2019, @11:10PM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_Mountain_(TV_series) [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 5, Informative) by DeathMonkey on Friday March 08 2019, @09:30PM
As we established in a prior article, Democrats receive more money from Pharma than Republicans do.
Also, that is a lie.
Pharmaceuticals / Health Products [opensecrets.org]
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Saturday March 09 2019, @03:34AM
Now this is what I came here to say. Except for the Democrat part.
Denials of security clearances can be appealed, but if Musk keeps his (and we should find out in the next couple weeks) ,and if the reason for the denial is solely for having smoked pot within the past 12 months more than three times, then you could invoke the "Musk" defense just as Sub Picture Guy* [nypost.com] invoked the "Hillary Clinton" defense.
* Epilogue: Trump pardoned Sub Picture Guy.
(Score: 5, Touché) by DeathMonkey on Friday March 08 2019, @06:44PM (6 children)
drug-and alcohol-free workforce.
It's funny how after-hours alcohol is totally fine but after-hours pot is the devil.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Friday March 08 2019, @07:13PM (1 child)
Also, I've never come in on Monday with a weed hangover....
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Friday March 08 2019, @07:50PM
The USUAL reasons for coming in late on Monday:
[_] Sick
[_] Hung over
[x] Windows 10 problems again
When trying to solve a problem don't ask who suffers from the problem, ask who profits from the problem.
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Friday March 08 2019, @08:32PM (1 child)
I work with a lot of people who smoke a lot of pot and they always think they are totally normal the next day. They are all just as bad as the drunks but at least the drunks know they are dragging everyone else down.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 09 2019, @01:12PM
That's not a hangover, that's the wake-and-bake and lunchtime-puff you're seeing.
(Score: 2) by urza9814 on Friday March 08 2019, @08:53PM
After hours? Hell, most places you've just gotta be off campus...you can go out to lunch and have a few beers and come straight back to work and nobody bats an eye, but you smoke a joint while on holiday somewhere that it's legal and you come back a month later you can still get fired for it!
(Score: 2) by Nuke on Saturday March 09 2019, @12:00AM
Musk wasn't doing it "after hours". Appearing to the media is part of the job for someone in his position.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Snow on Friday March 08 2019, @06:07PM (6 children)
They had the nuke codes.
Thank god we have a non-pot smoker with the nuke codes now. I feel so much better about that.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 08 2019, @06:35PM
Clinton lost the nuclear codes for months: http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/10/21/shelton.clinton.nuclear.codes/ [cnn.com]
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday March 08 2019, @06:51PM
Keep praying that he doesn't break his twitter.
Some drugs have much harsher withdrawal effects than others.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Friday March 08 2019, @07:51PM
But didn't Georgie have the white stuff under his nose? Maybe that was from drinking his milk?
When trying to solve a problem don't ask who suffers from the problem, ask who profits from the problem.
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Friday March 08 2019, @07:55PM (2 children)
Musk has the ability to launch multi ton vehicles to escape velocity. He therefore has the ability to launch tungston rods and target them to return anywhere on earth.
Nukes, but without the radiation.
(Score: 2) by Snow on Friday March 08 2019, @08:21PM
For some reason that worries me less than the current holder(s) of nukes.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 08 2019, @11:10PM
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday March 08 2019, @06:16PM
This fight could expose a lot of Beltway bandit dirt. Or it could lead to the pot huff moment being officially sanctioned/ignored.
Air Force Requirements Will Keep SpaceX From Landing Falcon 9 Booster After GPS Launch [soylentnews.org]
SpaceX... Faces Pentagon Audit [soylentnews.org]
SpaceX Protests NASA's Award of "Lucy" Launch Contract to ULA [soylentnews.org] (seen as SpaceX retaliating after the news about the audit)
I'll look around for some more stuff. Also, I heard that one of the Air Force top brass in charge of procuring launches used to work at ULA or Boeing, but I don't remember the video/source I got that from or the name. Help me find it if you can.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by ikanreed on Friday March 08 2019, @06:27PM (5 children)
I hate the drug war, pointlessly threatening people's livelihoods for slightly stepping outside the chalk, and obviously selective prosecution.
On the other hand, fuck Elon Musk.
(Score: 3, Touché) by takyon on Friday March 08 2019, @06:30PM (1 child)
Fuck you too, pedo guy.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Touché) by ikanreed on Friday March 08 2019, @07:14PM
Hey, that's not fair, I never saved a dozen children from imminent death then lightly criticized one of his plans.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Friday March 08 2019, @07:26PM (2 children)
Why do you hate Musk so much?
(Score: 5, Interesting) by ikanreed on Friday March 08 2019, @08:12PM (1 child)
Several reasons, really.
1. He took a well-planned luxury electric car company, bought a majority stake, then paid a fortune in PR money to make it synonymous with him.
1a. Then he ran it into the ground
1b. Added DRM to cars
2. He's quashed unions, made false allegations of mass murder terrorism to the FBI against a safety whistleblower from one of his plants.
3. He's managed to insinuate himself into the public transit politics through the hyperloop/boring company never gonna happen promises, and successfully derailed legitimate mass transit plans to propose a car-tunnel based solution lightyears outside the realm of pragmatism
4. He accused a hero who saved several dozen people's lives of pedophilia for lightly criticizing him
5. (not his fault)Become an icon of "self made billionaires" when he really just invested his parents' diamond mine money at the right time and place in the dotcom bubble
6. "Oh haha, I was only joking that a third party was offering extremely high prices for privatization when my stock prices were crashing"
To my knowledge, SpaceX has mostly been a pretty good thing. Boeing and Lockheed and Northap Gruman are parasites, and disrupting them is great.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Friday March 08 2019, @09:25PM
Wow, thank you, great answer, I didn't know most of those details. I tend to look at the good someone does. I'm not sure how to weigh the good and bad that he's done. Often in life bad comes with good, but of course sometimes the bad is intolerable, and those debates rage on around the world.
My only response: it was the pot made him do the bad things. Or maybe the pot made him do the good things.
(Score: 4, Touché) by NewNic on Friday March 08 2019, @06:29PM (10 children)
It's OK to lie in multiple submissions of your SF86, have problematic loans and still get a security clearance, but taking one puff of weed makes you a security risk?
lib·er·tar·i·an·ism ˌlibərˈterēənizəm/ noun: Magical thinking that useful idiots mistake for serious political theory
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday March 08 2019, @06:31PM (4 children)
Exotic foreign agents could entrance you while you are under the influence of the Ganja. Or it could turn you into a literal psychopath on a killing rampage using government-funded heavy machinery.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 08 2019, @06:39PM (3 children)
I smoked 7 times in my life and went on 7 rampages. Coincidence? I think NOT!
Oh, should've clarified, it was Angel Dusted pot, does that matter?
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday March 08 2019, @06:41PM
Yes. Forget the clearances, Satan Himself is in play!
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Friday March 08 2019, @06:47PM (1 child)
Oh, should've clarified, it was Angel Dusted pot, does that matter?
Of course it does!!
What kind of idiot ruins their angel dust like that?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 08 2019, @07:47PM
I heard you can fit a million doses in the tip of one hypodermic!
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Friday March 08 2019, @07:09PM (1 child)
Yeah, but Elon Musk isn't banging the president's daughter, so clearly he's much more of a risk than a guy who quite possibly gave away state secrets to the Russians.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 08 2019, @07:42PM
Don't forget the info on dissidents he gave the Clown Prince.
(Score: 2) by fritsd on Friday March 08 2019, @09:16PM
Yeah but that guy lives on house nr. 666, so the Pentagon was probably super impressed to serve the Antichrist's son-in-law.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 08 2019, @11:16PM (1 child)
All the answers above are using logic, and for that reason are incorrect. Here is the only correct answer:
"There is a checkbox on the e-QIP form: 'Are you using drugs?' "
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Saturday March 09 2019, @06:10PM
At last, somebody understands. The problem is not necessarily that he used drugs, but that he has lied about using drugs. If you can't trust a man, then you really shouldn't be asking him to protect your secrets.
Did he lie because he cannot help telling lies, is it because he is ashamed of what he has done, is he hiding it for some other reason? All these mean that he is susceptible to pressure being brought to bear and that is the reason that it can affect a security clearance.
I am not interested in who people are or where they live. My interest starts and stops at our servers.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 08 2019, @06:44PM (1 child)
The company could still launch classified missions, just that Musk in person would not have access to the classified data but OTHER employees could.
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Saturday March 09 2019, @03:42AM
That's pretty much how foreign companies in the U.S. can produce classified tech here without having access to the classified information. It's called an SSA (Special Security Agreement) and allows them to be foreign-owned and let them run the business-end of things while the classified sections here work on the nuts and bolts and then send the home office their accounting credits.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 08 2019, @07:03PM
"Musk has a top-secret level clearance because the company he founded and leads is certified to launch military spy satellites for the US government."
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Friday March 08 2019, @07:53PM
Investigate Boeing.
If Boeing thinks it is going to catch up to SpaceX, then . . . what are they smoking?
When trying to solve a problem don't ask who suffers from the problem, ask who profits from the problem.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 08 2019, @07:58PM
The feds get pissed. Pretty simple. Don't flaunt it, and no one cares.
(Score: 2) by Codesmith on Friday March 08 2019, @08:59PM (1 child)
Maybe someone can clarify for me: There's no proof it was really weed, perhaps is was herbal tobacco or something and the they played it up as weed. Is that still illegal and would it still affect a security clearance?
I treat most podcasts/vlogs/etc as fiction, and the folks in them as actors. I'm not sure what result the authorities are going for here, other than potentially embarassing Joe Rogan and/or Elon Musk.
Pro utilitate hominum.
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Saturday March 09 2019, @01:35AM
Yeah but if Musk BELIEVED Rogan when he said it was pot then it's just as bad #impeach
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Friday March 08 2019, @09:04PM (6 children)
The War on Drugs is a huge waste of money, weed doesn't really hurt anything, and it being illegal is a convenient excuse to harass people they don't like. Just fucking stop
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Friday March 08 2019, @09:40PM (3 children)
Yeah, I have to mostly agree, and I've felt that way for a very long time.
Actually I don't advocate most illegal drug use, but living in a war-torn society is worse IMHO. I would vote to completely stop the war, except I would ramp up the border crossing searches- some huge illegal drug shipments have been discovered in the past few weeks, and I have to wonder how much they don't find.
From what I believe to be true, it's more the money and distribution system that's the problem. So many gangs, killings, etc.
Also, from what I remember to be true regarding security clearances: the US govt. isn't as worried about drug use as it is the addiction, that someone can be bought, manipulated, connects with evil-doers, drug pushers, etc. They worry very much about debt, people who might do stupid things that could put them in debt, esp. to bad people who could coerce / extort the secrets.
(Score: 2) by Immerman on Friday March 08 2019, @10:43PM (2 children)
Legalize the production and sale of cannabis, avoid taxing them into the ground, and you don't even need the stepped up border searches. It's expensive and dangerous to operate in the black market, and most people have no particular desire to support organized crime Give them an affordable, legal, quality controlled alternative source, and the black market dries up. Heck, even with the outrageous taxes most states are imposing it sounds like the black market is drying up - not completely, but the remaining illegal players are more and more just small-time growers, grey-market resellers, etc. No need for Mexican weed when locally grown stuff is cheap.
As for your point about security clearances - I can certainly see that being the rationale used, but it's a bad rationale.
First of all, anyone who needs such clearance almost certainly has the income to support a really devastating range of addictions. Popular drugs just aren't expensive enough to be able to rack up serious debt behind an addiction on a middle-class income.
Secondly, the only reason other forms of coercion are possible is, like most problems with the black market, because the drugs are illegal. And for a (white) middle-class person, there's not actually a whole lot of problems associated with being caught using illegal drugs - other than losing your security clearance or job. Meaning that the "security" requirement itself is what's creating the problem.
Thirdly - if you're worried about people acting stupidly under the influence of drugs, then alcohol use should carry the most severe repurcussions.
And finally, and slightly on a tangent, there's the fact that cannabis is treated radically differently than other drugs when it comes to testing. The vast majority of drugs, common tests will tell you how high you currently are. And frankly, if you're significantly high (or drunk) at work, there's probably pretty good chance you should be fired. With cannabis though, smoking a single cigarette several months ago can still show up on the test at repercussion-inducing levels, depending on your metabolism.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Saturday March 09 2019, @01:40AM
You're preaching to the choir brother. I wasn't talking about cannabis- it's (finally) on its way to being legalized, and mostly ignored. It's the heroin and cocaine and whatever else they find that I'm talking about, and there are occasionally high-profile cases in the news of wealthy people somehow getting into some kind of big mess on those drugs. I don't follow the stories much nor in detail, partly because I'm so sick of hearing about it. I don't work for the govt. nor contractors nor have anything to do with that world.
(Score: 2) by Pslytely Psycho on Saturday March 09 2019, @01:41AM
Here in Washington State, the weed (and oils, waxes, tinctures, infusions and edibles) are actually cheaper than the street was, I just today got a gram of 93.7% crystal clear oil (looks like thick water) for $45 and a full ounce of 31% Lemon Skunk for $90. The street dealers are mostly gone, they can't compete with a store having 50 varieties of weed, 15 types of waxes and a dozen or so kinds of edibles.
The black market here is damned near extinct.
There are 25 recreational weed stores here in Spokane. Medical in Washington is now only a card that allows you to grow your own, buy and transport clones and possess more than an ounce (not on your person, but in your residence).
They just gave it over to the Liquor Control Board as they had the experience with selling intoxicants rather than creating an entirely new government office to deal with it. By using the existing legal infrastructure they spent very little implementing legalization.
They did try and do a ridiculous sales tax at the beginning. It got voted out the first election after since the tax was imposed without a vote or public input. So the state didn't make quite as many millions as they anticipated. They are rolling in the tax revenue regardless.
Alex Jones lawyer inspires new TV series: CSI Moron Division.
(Score: 2) by cmdrklarg on Friday March 08 2019, @10:09PM
"Waste of money? Who told you that? The War on Drugs is a double-plus good thing!" - The Prison and Law Enforcement Industrial Complex
The world is full of kings and queens who blind your eyes and steal your dreams.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Saturday March 09 2019, @12:17AM
$current_year, weed on schedule 1
w t f
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(Score: 3, Insightful) by Arik on Friday March 08 2019, @10:09PM (4 children)
If he's doing it on a livestream in public view, there's no opening for blackmail. No one can threaten to expose this if he doesn't do what they want. It's already exposed.
I'm no fan of Musk, I think he's essentially a con artist, but this still strikes me as politically motivated harassment, not a legitimate security review.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Immerman on Friday March 08 2019, @10:52PM (3 children)
I would say showman, rather than con artist. The line between the two can get blurry, but Musk has pretty consistently managed to deliver on his promises, if not necessarily on schedule. I'd say a con-man rarely has any intention of even attempting to do so.
He may claim a lot more personal credit than he deserves (I believe Thomas Edison was known for much the same proclivity), but that's a whole separate personal failing - one shared by an unfortunately large number of powerful and respected people. (many a grad student could tell you a story...)
(Score: 2) by Arik on Friday March 08 2019, @11:00PM (2 children)
Well, I think that's the point of the digression. We'll be a lot better off if we can ever simply stop respecting con artists.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 2) by Immerman on Friday March 08 2019, @11:39PM (1 child)
con artist
noun. a person who cheats or tricks others by persuading them to believe something that is not true.
Now, you could argue that persuading people to believe any lie is inherently tricking them, but cheating seems to be pretty central to the kind of trickery attributed to a con artist, and I can't think of any examples of that.
A plagiarizer, perhaps - except he does generally give credit to his team for their success. And charlatan and fraud seem too strong a term for someone who is actually delivering - even if they're doing so from more of an administrative position than doing the work themselves. We say a farmer plows his fields, even though it's the plow(horses) doing all the work.
He doesn't particularly cheat, trick, or even steal much credit, to be labeled a con. Mostly he's just good at keeping the spotlight on himself.
(Score: 2) by Arik on Saturday March 09 2019, @01:52AM
Plagiarism? Yep. Claims to have invented the concept. In fact it's quite an old one, several other people 'invented' the concept first - and ultimately discarded it as impractical.
Which it is. And Musk is certainly not stupid or ignorant enough to believe anything else. Nonetheless he's happily taking advantage of those who are that stupid, or ignorant, to fund the project.
What's his goal? Presumably there's some other project that people would not be so eager to fund that some of this work will be relevant for.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 2) by Nuke on Saturday March 09 2019, @12:07AM
Whether he smokes weed regularly or not, his ideas are like he has been smoking something strong. So ban him anyway.
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Saturday March 09 2019, @01:55AM
What is most annoying about this whole thing is right after it happened in the interview he went on to talk about how he doesn't like pot and thinks it is bad and damages productivity.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam